Roberto Mancini played his cards, collected his winnings and then jumped on the first plane back to Italy having blown the storm clouds away from Manchester Cityfor another week at least.

Tinkerman one week, master tactician the next, yet as he boarded the flight home, the City manager had shown his critics that he can turn games after a tactical switch and the introduction of substitute Edin Dzeko transformed defeat into victory against Tottenham.

Having been castigated for tinkering with City’s defensive tactics during the Champions League defeat by Ajax, Mancini deserves credit for masterminding this win.

Until the 57th-minute introduction of full-back Maicon, which enabled City to revert to the three-man defence that was so controversial in Amsterdam, the champions looked poised to suffer their first home league defeat in 34 games – a run stretching back to a 2-1 loss to Everton in December 2010.

Then came Mancini’s 73rd-minute decision to replace the jaded Carlos Tévez with Dzeko, selected on the bench ahead of Mario Balotelli. The Bosnian won the game with an 88th-minute volley.

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Dzeko, who had admitted disdain for his 'super-sub’ tag before the game, only served to enhance that reputation with his winner, his sixth goal as a substitute this season.

Dzeko has won nine points for City with his goals as a replacement. He might have to learn to live with his unwanted billing for a while yet.

“He is not happy.” Mancini said. “A player who is happy on the bench does not exist. We had three important strikers today.

“Last year we won the championship because of goals from our strikers. Today we missed some goals from them, but hopefully they can score again soon.”

Dzeko, whose relationship with Mancini is somewhere between lukewarm and cool, says he wants to earn a starting spot with his performances and not his complaints. “The goals are my message.” the Bosnian said. “I hope next time we start winning 1-0 before we win the game because this is much harder.”

Having missed the post-match press conference to make his flight, Mancini gave up the opportunity to gloat over his tactical switch, but Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas admitted his counterpart had played the winning card.

“The key moment came at 1-1,” Villas-Boas said. “City made some changes, went to three at the back and began to go for all out attack.

“We started making some space, but the [winning] goal came from our attack and Dzeko made the difference with his ambition to show that he deserves to be in the team.

He has a strong character and he showed a moment of brilliance to win the game.”

As turbulent as this season has been for Mancini and City, they remain the only unbeaten team in the Premier League. Spurs tested that record to the full.

After 21 minutes, they punished City for their latest defensive lapse. With Aleksandar Kolarov losing ­Steven Caulker as Tom Huddlestone’s free-kick entered the penalty area, the Spurs defender’s header ­somehow crept past goalkeeper Joe Hart, who initially blocked the effort but allowed the ball to squirm into the net.

City responded well. They should have been given the opportunity to equalise with a penalty after 24 minutes when William Gallas’s left arm prevented Sergio Agüero from hitting a shot. The ball twice struck the Frenchman’s arm, but referee Michael Oliver was unsighted and dismissed City’s appeals.

City continued to pour forward and were denied another penalty 10 minutes later when Huddlestone barged Pablo Zabaleta to the ground.

Tottenham were leading a charmed life. Kolarov sent a 20-yard effort wide, Agüero sliced a near-post effort over the bar and Tévez, having been teed up by David Silva, scuffed a shot into Brad Friedel’s hands.

With Spurs impotent in attack, however, Mancini made the tactical change to put more pressure on their defence.

Further chances emerged. Eventually, Tottenham’s resistance was ­broken when Agüero, released by Yaya Toure, cut inside full-back Jan Vertonghen and guided a left-foot shot into the far corner of the goal.

City sensed a winner and increased the pressure again. Maicon shot narrowly across the face of goal, Silva shot wide and Friedel saved brilliantly from Agüero after Dzeko had teed up the Argentine with a back-heeled pass. With two minutes left, Dzeko ghosted on to Silva’s lofted pass and beat Friedel with a first-time volley on his left foot.

For the fourth time in the league this season, City had fought back from a losing position to win. Guess who has had a hand in each victory.